COAST's Latest Anti-Streetcar Rant is Flimsier than Normal

The Coalition Opposed to Additional
Spending and Taxes (COAST) has long been known locally for its
unwavering opposition to the streetcar project, but the organization
crossed the line into dishonesty on Aug. 6 with its calls to action
about the sale of the Blue Ash Airport.

In short, a statement released by COAST
claimed that Cincinnati is trying to force Blue Ash into rescinding the
sale of the Blue Ash Airport so a new deal can be worked that will
funnel the sale money into the streetcar.

The real story behind the sale of the
Blue Ash Airport is not as scandalous as COAST portrays. Some
background: In 2006, the city of Blue Ash agreed to a deal with the city
of Cincinnati to buy out 130 of 228 acres owned by Cincinnati at the
Blue Ash Airport. Blue Ash would pay Cincinnati $37.5 million over 30
years, Cincinnati would move the airport to the adjacent 98 acres and
Blue Ash would build a central park on the 130 acres.

Blue Ash voters in a two-to-one margin approved the deal with a related 0.25 percent earnings tax to fund the new park.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly
as planned. As part of the deal, Cincinnati had to apply for a $10
million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The
expectation was that Cincinnati would get this grant, making the cost of
moving and maintaining the airport sustainable. But Cincinnati did not
get that grant, and it has since decided to close the airport to save
money.

This is where it gets tricky. Under
federal law, since the land was sold as an airport, the money gained
from the sale must be used on airports. That severely limits how
Cincinnati can use the sale money.

What Cincinnati wants to do is have Blue
Ash rescind the original sale and then officially close down the airport
before re-selling the land to Blue Ash.

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This would let Cincinnati sell
the land when it’s not classified as an airport, which would let
Cincinnati use the $37.5 million in sale money on non-airport projects.
Cincinnati has said $11 million of that freed-up money would go to the
streetcar, and $26 million would go to municipal projects.

Everyone wins here. Cincinnati shuts down
an airport that is no longer affordable, money is freed up for other
projects and Blue Ash is a good neighbor and doesn’t lose anything. It
still gets the park its voters want and pays the same amount for the
property.

Well, not according to COAST. Even though
less than one-third of the money is going to the streetcar, COAST
insists Blue Ash is getting screwed in the deal so Cincinnati can fund
the streetcar. The organization claims the new deal will result in “Blue
Ash’s pockets” being “picked” for streetcar funds.

But Blue Ash is not paying for the
streetcar. It is paying for the 130 acres of land to build a park. It
has been paying for that land for more than five years now. What
Cincinnati does with the money from the sale is of little relevance to
Blue Ash.

That hasn’t stopped COAST from doing its
very best to link the deal to the streetcar. After all, when something
is remotely related to the streetcar, it’s a sure bet COAST will be
there, trying to “hold the line” against the project, which the
organization sees as wasteful spending.

That’s where irony comes in. The
organization is adamantly against any new spending and taxes. That is
its basic purpose. But in this case, the organization is so blinded by
its disapproval of the streetcar that it is actually opposing a deal
that saves Cincinnati money. By freeing up $37.5 million in funds and
closing down the airport, Cincinnati is stopping unnecessary spending
and gaining a new, temporary revenue stream. That will let the city
continue funding other projects without higher taxes or raising overall
spending.

In other words, the deal is doing the
exact kind of thing COAST promotes. But if there’s anything COAST is
more determined to stop than extra spending and higher taxes, it’s the
streetcar.

Blue Ash City Council voted 6-1 Aug. 9 to
redo the Blue Ash Airport deal. COAST has now vowed to lead a
referendum on the rescinded deal for the 2013 ballot, even though Blue
Ash councilmembers say the it falls under a section of the city charter
that makes it immune to referendum. Chris Finney, legal counsel for
COAST, says the rescinded deal is still a sale, so it can be brought up
for referendum.

If the referendum is placed on the
ballot, it could delay the rescinded deal for 14 months. If voters
approve the referendum, it would rescind the rescinded deal, and Blue
Ash and Cincinnati will be forced to work with the 2006 deal.